Britain fights relegation from show jumping’s Nations Cup
Members of the British Equestrian Federation (BEF) are flying to Geneva today for an appeal against Great Britain’s relegation from the top tier of show jumping’s Nations Cup competition.
The International Equestrian Federation (FEI) was forced to pore over its rule book when in August Team GB and Belgium tied in eighth place in the 2009 competition.
The rules stated that the bottom two of the ten teams in the competition should be relegated to the promotional league. But the FEI rules conflicted as to which of the two teams it should be.
On 24 August the FEI ruled that in the interests of fairness both teams should stay up, but just a month later the FEI made a U-turn and demoted both teams.
The BEF has appealed the decision and that case will be heard by the FEI tribunal, tomorrow in Geneva.
BEF chief executive Andrew Finding told H&H: “The FEI’s rules were ambiguous to say the least. We are appealing on the behalf of British show jumping but also for our riders, who deserve to be jumping at the highest level.”
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A self-confessed newshound, farmer’s daughter and journalist of many years' experience, Charlotte worked on regional papers before joining H&H in 2007. A regular rider, she visited Ireland in 2010 to investigate the fate of Irish horses through the recession, to much acclaim, and reported from the FEI General Assembly in Rio de Janeiro in 2011. She left Horse & Hound in March 2013.